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Photos: Upgrades make Playhouse spaces new again

During the summer, the Mission Playhouse stage crew worked on several projects to prepare the historic venue for its fall season.

These changes – which mainly occurred backstage – were focused on improving the Playhouse’s infrastructure for technicians, renters and staff as they showcase shows and events throughout the year.

Beginning with the stage pit (where an orchestra is traditionally located), the Playhouse stage crew installed new removable wall panels, which help hide equipment located underneath the stage. Should the crew need to access the stage cavity, they can simply remove the wall panels to access various compartments. In addition, the flooring around the pit was repainted and repaired, hiding equipment that’s located underneath.

Moving further into the stage, crews also worked on refurbishing and expanding the wooden loading ramp to accommodate large set pieces with greater ease. Previously, the width of the wooden ramp didn’t match that of the concrete ramp, which made transporting equipment and props more difficult.

The Playhouse’s lighting plot – which serves as a map of all the theater’s lighting points – was also redesigned with relocated stage lights and new rigging points, giving producers even more options to fulfill their lighting needs.

Heading further backstage, dressing rooms for artists and traveling productions were also updated with new paint, clothing racks and countertops, giving artists more flexibility when it comes to managing their backstage space.

Playhouse crew also worked on repainting and refurbishing the projector room towards the rear of the theater, which houses a powerful projector along with two spotlights.

Finally, to improve safety, new LEDs were installed to illuminate the theater’s back door and parking lot. Not only do these lights provide brighter illumination than the previous fixtures, but they also save a significant amount of energy - 4000 watts worth!